FOSSICKING fans and gem lovers will be flocking to NSW’s “Celtic Country” next month for one of the biggest gem and jewellery events in the land.
And autumn is the perfect time to visit Glen Innes – just over the border but deep in the heart of sapphire country – for the annual Minerama Fossicking, Gem & Jewellery Show.
Held every year on the second weekend in March, Minerama attracts visitors and dealers from all over Australia and is perfect for gem and jewellery lovers, rockhounds and outdoor adventurers.
Not only can you check out the more than 70 stalls, demonstrations from gemologists and displays including on-site crystal fossicking – you can even view your own gems and minerals under a microscope.
Minerama is also a great opportunity to explore the Glen Innes district.
Over the three days you can search for buried treasure on fossicking field trips to suit beginners and novices alike.
As well as sapphires, the Glen Innes and Inverell districts have produced topaz, garnet, zircon, aquamarine, emerald, citrine and quartz.
Other places worth checking out while you’re there include the EmmavilleMiningMuseum, with its collection of gems and minerals, historical photos and memorabilia from the old mining days when Emmaville and Torrington were boom tin-mining towns.
There’s also the excellent Land of the Beardies History House, which tells the pioneering history of the Glen Innes district including a collection of old machinery.
The Australian Standing Stones, in Glen Innes’ Centennial Park, is a national monument to Australia’s Celtic pioneers and the venue for the Australian Celtic Festival each May.
Minerama is held at Glen Innes District & Services Club in Grey Street.
Glen Innes is a four- hour drive from Brisbane.
